Original subtitles

[engine noise]

-Do you wanna try Mum's bike,

because it's got better suspension?

If she falls off or something goes wrong,

it's entirely my fault.

When I see my kids do crazy things and

wild stunts and take risks, and they're completely

immersed in an experience, I have a wonderful sense

of pride and appreciation,

and a huge amount of jealousy.

Mostly jealousy.

I think the older I've gotten and the more

familiar things have become,

I've found myself missing some of that sense

of joy and play that I had when I was a kid,

and I'm yearning for that.

I wanna experience things the way my kids do.

And I've discovered there's meaningful health benefits

from doing exactly that.

So I wanna learning the secrets from people

who have never lost that childlike approach to life.

Extreme athletes.

The incredible free climbers I admire,

the top stuntmen I work with,

and my daredevil mates like Robbie Maddison.

-Yes, Robbie!

-So, Robbie is a hero of mine and a hero to my kids.

[crowd noise]

He's done probably the most amount of extreme,

impressive stunts.

More than anyone on the planet,

and he seems to have such a blast doing it.

Woo!

-How was that stunt team?

-That was so good! -Yeah. That was sick.

[♪ upbeat music playing]

-I miss this level of like, fearlessness, you know?

You watch the way kids approach things,

and it's a kind of complete disregard for,

for safety and, but they seem to figure it out.

There's a resilience that's built there.

Something very freeing, you know,

and the more we have comfort,

the less we put ourselves in situations that might be

slightly intimidating.

You can begin to kind of shut down,

you know, you just do less and less.

-I mean, what do you do to get that again?

-I'm looking.

I'm on the hunt for something new, for a,

for a new experience.

-I think the best way to experience,

I think what our kids are experiencing right now

is to step out of the comfort zone of what

you're used to and just try something totally new.

But there has to be an element of risk there.

-So I'll do something intense, something new.

[heavy breathing]

-Something I haven't been exposed to before.

[Robbie] 100%.

[heavy breathing].

[♪ suspenseful music playing]

[helicopter rotors whirring]

[Chris] On my mission to recapture the thrill my

daring kids get from pushing their limits,

I need to take on something that challenges

both my mind and my body.

It needs to be something new and unfamiliar.

And it needs to be risky enough to force me

well outside my comfort zone.

After hunting around for a few months,

I found this dam wall.

It's about 200 meters high.

It's in Switzerland,

and it looks incredibly challenging,

and I'm gonna attempt to climb it on my own,

in the middle of winter.

I'm not built like a climber,

I haven't had a whole lot of experience rock climbing.

I don't necessarily love heights or the

likelihood of failure.

So, this definitely feels like a new adventure.

This isn't just about the dare.

Now there's emerging science about the rewards

we get when we take on challenges we'd rather avoid.

So, I'm working with leading neuroscientist,

Professor Abigail Marsh.

-So, how you feeling about the climb?

-There's a lot of unknowns.

You know, I think the highest wall that I've

rock climbed is probably 50 meters,

and that felt really high.

This is, this is a lot different,

and the conditions are dramatically different to that.

-Well, tell me, why is it that you wanna do this?

-You know, I, I watch my kids and the ability to

just sort of immerse themselves in that one thing.

-Yeah.

-Whether it be surfing or fishing,

or fighting with each other, you know,

the complete kind of like, that moment is the only

thing that exists.

I think the older I've gotten,

I've found myself in less situations that have

brought me that feeling.

-I think a lot of adults, when they're watching kids

playing and enjoying life, feel a little envious about

their sense of excitement and curiosity and joy,

of doing all these new and exciting things,

and um I think a lot of us wish that

we could recapture that.

-Why is it the older we get,

we tend to avoid those type of activities?

-So like, novel, difficult situations...

-Yeah.

-Can be framed two different ways, right?

They can be framed as a threat, right,

an opportunity for failure,

and I think that's easier the older we get,

but the way that kids think...

-Yeah. -Is it's a challenge.

It's like I haven't done this before...

-Yeah. -Let's see what I can do.

-Yeah.

-I think that is what is involved in the transition

from childhood to adulthood,

increasing what you're capable of.

-Right.

-And how you're able to be independent.

So, kids' brains are pushing them to do that.

-Yeah, absolutely.

-Kids are motivated to seek out new risks and

challenges because their brains are more

sensitive to dopamine, which is a chemical that

motivates us to try novel,

exciting, and even risky things.

[Chris] Look inside a kid's brain and you'll

see a dopamine system in overdrive,

sparking curiosity and a drive to explore.

But as we age, that dopamine sensitivity

drops by about 10% per decade.

The exception seems to be the extreme athletes who

enjoy high-risk activities.

Research suggests they have a more active

dopamine system compared to other adults.

The good news for the rest of us,

tackling tough challenges can spark that dopamine response,

bringing back the thrill we felt as kids,

which can boost our psychological health

and wellbeing.

-Greater wellbeing is associated with a reduced

risk of chronic disease, better immune functioning,

and even longer lifespan, with one study suggesting

that increased wellbeing may increase

lifespan by up to 10 years.

[Chris] So, what if one of the secrets to living

better now is acting younger?

And the key to acting younger is daring

to push ourselves beyond our limits.

I feel like I underestimated this one.

-I'm glad it's you and not me.

If I'm looking at it, I'm like,

"I don't know if I, I could do that."

-Oh, I'm sure you'd figure it out.

Abi's not the only person I've enlisted

for this challenge.

Seeing as Robbie is such an inspiration to me,

I've roped him along for guidance,

and for technical and safety advice,

I've got Percy Bishton, one of the world's leading

wall climbers.

-So, this climb's the longest artificial

climb in the world.

-Good.

-So yeah, it takes between two and four hours for

a competent pair of climbers to do this.

That's in the summer.

Obviously, it's February.

We're in the Swiss Alps,

and it's cold.

There's snow and ice.

-Yeah.

-And so you need to be able to keep moving.

-Yeah.

-The other thing which is unique for you is that

you're not climbing with anyone.

You're gonna climb on your own.

-How do you feel about it?

-I'm well aware of, um, the difficulties of it,

uh, well aware that the, you know,

the height and the fear may come into,

into this scenario.

-I think the challenge is gonna be...

A: Getting on top of your fear.

-Yeah.

-And, and the fact that it's

a very intimidating environment.

Shall we, uh?

-Oh wow!

-Check it out, see how, see how,

see how long it's gonna take to land.

-Urgh!

I don't know why it makes me feel sick!

-Here it comes.

[smashing into ground]

-Wow.

-Oh, yeah, can I wear a parachute?

-No, go on, grab yourself a block.

-Bombs away.

Hurgh!

Oh!

[laughter]

That feels weird.

A lot of things are going through my head at this point.

There's a huge amount of discomfort.

It, it's the first time I'm feeling some fear,

I suppose.

Oh, the explosion.

Uh, I know that the longer I stand here and

look at this and consider all the ways of how it

can go wrong, I'm gonna, you know,

talk myself out of it.

I'm thinking about it too much.

Let's just get going.

-On one level, of course,

climbing with appropriate safety equipment and

procedures is not actually dangerous,

but I don't think it's remotely plausible that

anybody wouldn't feel terrified in a situation

on a wall that steep and that vertical.

[Chris] But if we wanna reap the health benefits

of trying something new and challenging,

we can't let anxiety or fear get in the way.

So, I've enlisted the help of my long-time

stunt double and good mate, Bobby Hanton.

Show off.

Bobby is an ex-gymnast, uh, and ex-diver,

and now is one of the best stuntmen in the world.

Bobby has taught me to do some really crazy stunts in movies,

but the really, really crazy stuff...

I let Bobby take over.

And when Bobby's confronted with a crazy stunt,

he's like a big kid.

Nice one, Bobby!

What are we doing here?

I got my mask and snorkel, and my flippers,

and my floaties.

-You don't need any of that. -Don't need any of that, no?

The purpose of today is some rock climbing

training and some exposure to heights.

To start with, Bobby takes me up to the

very top board at 10 meters, or 30 feet,

to gauge my reaction.

-I wouldn't say I'm scared of heights,

but I wouldn't say I love them either.

But interesting enough, you know, when I was a kid,

I would do somersaults off that thing.

Urgh!

[Abigail] In adults' brains, there's a fully developed

region called the prefrontal cortex,

and that is the part of the brain that is engaged in

worrying about consequences.

But kids' brains are built pretty differently

than adult brains.

Adolescents do a lot more thrill-seeking behaviors

than adults do because their prefrontal cortex

has not yet fully developed.

[Bobby] Come on, boy.

Good.

-The nice thing is, even adults can learn to

regulate the activity in those prefrontal regions

to help them try to recapture some of the

fun that kids have.

-We good?

Yeah, Bobby.

[Bobby] Nice and tight to you.

Looked like a good entry to me.

I didn't see a splash.

[whistles]

-So, I need to work my way back up to

the top board in stages.

It's not by any means the most crazy stunt thing to do.

-We've done, we've built up from each platform now,

and you're, the repetition's there.

You know exactly what you're doing.

Keep nice and tight, arms tight, legs tight.

-I feel weird there.

I'm just overthinking it, you know,

and I'm considering all the bad scenarios and,

and it's not even a dangerous environment.

-The only way to reduce your response is

to actually be in the situation,

learn through experience that you can handle it,

that it actually turned out okay,

and that unlearning will then carry forward

the next time you're in a similar risky situation.

[♪ suspenseful music playing]

-Then, once I've done it, it was like, cool.

I do get a real thrill from it.

But there's a world of difference between

a diving board...

...And a nearly 200-meter, 540-foot wall.

[Percy] It doesn't look that bad from here.

-It does, it does.

[laughs]

-It looks, it tends to be flush on,

but if you can break it down,

you can see a five-pitch climb.

-Yeah.

[Percy] It's a lot bigger than it looks.

[Chris] No, it looks big, don't worry.

I'm beginning to dissect the problem and

the challenge and attempting to,

to compute whether this is even possible in any way,

shape, or form.

-Ah, here you go, you can see.

If you look through, mate, you'll probably see

there's a metal grid, so that's what the top of

each pitch looks like.

-Yeah.

-So when you get to the top of a pitch,

normally there's a good hold there,

you can stand on the ledge.

You can just take a minute to breathe.

[gasps]

-Yep.

-Get, get centered and then start on the next pitch.

Try and give your arms as much of a breather as you can,

'cause when you get to the top,

you'll need them.

-Okay, cool.

[Percy] The first two pitches,

you can get into the climbing.

What you'll find is that as the sun comes onto the wall,

it's warmer at the top.

-Yeah.

-And it just stays cold at the bottom.

The cold air sits here, and the holds are kind of,

they're super cold.

-It's incredibly cold, like I'm actually looking

at the dam and I'm starting to shiver,

you know, and I'm thinking,

how am I gonna spend an hour or two on that wall?

-So, the bottom section, that's your warm-up.

The middle part is more thinking about it.

It's gonna be a bit lonely in there.

-Yeah.

-You know, in the middle of the wall,

you're 80 meters from the floor.

-Yeah.

-There's nothing else around you.

It's a special environment.

It's quite intimidating.

-I'm considering how the vertigo and

the adrenaline, the fear of heights,

is gonna come into play.

There's kind of sensory overload.

[Percy] And then the last 80 meters.

-Move.

-That's where it's overhanging.

What we call a crux section,

the most difficult part of the climb.

That's when you're gun it to the top 'cause

you'll see the sky.

-Yeah.

-Everyone's waiting for you at the top.

-And that's when it gets harder, too, right?

-Yeah, because of the shape of the dam,

at the top, it's overhanging.

You wanna be, be moving then 'cause you're just

gonna do it in one big push.

[Chris] Yeah.

[Percy] Which is not something that anyone ever does.

[Chris] I'm worried about the physical exhaustion,

to be honest.

[Robbie] I just know from climbing myself how hard

it is on your fingers, on your arms.

Once he gets past midway, that's like,

that's almost inverted on itself.

-No one ever does it like this,

and no one ever does it this time of year,

so it's gonna be tough.

-A lot of respect for you, mate.

[Chris] These kinds of challenges aren't

about proving we can do something tough.

They're about finding something we seem to

lose as we get older.

A childlike belief that anything is possible.

To get a little closer to that spirit,

I've been training with one of the greatest

extreme athletes on earth.

Steph Davis is a legendary climber,

base jumper, and wingsuit flyer.

She doesn't just face the impossible;

she goes looking for it.

-This is Cala Sa Nau.

It's kinda like the prime location for

deep water soloing.

-What is deep water soloing?

-Oksy, so you have no rope, soloing.

-Yep.

-But instead of you fall, you hit the ground,

the end.

-You hit the water.

-You fall, you hit the water, exactly.

It's gonna be scary, it's intense.

There is some risk associated,

but you can train for it.

You can have fun with it.

When I started climbing, it was a really big shift.

I was in college.

I got a Master's degree, and then that was kind of

a breakpoint where I made the decision to say,

"Okay, I'm stopping the academic path."

So I left and then moved into my car and

became a full-time climber.

I think I was just really drawn by curiosity

and excitement of it.

For me, the whole world's a playground and

I've never stopped playing.

There's a mindset that I have that seems to

be different than for many other people.

-What's different about extreme athletes that is

similar in adolescence is that they have this very

high dopamine activity, and so they're really

attuned to the rewards from doing risky and

challenging things, and they're motivated to do

them despite the risks, not because they're not

aware of the risks.

The good news is that being in that frame of mind,

it's something that we can all tap into.

[Steph] The plan with Chris is to first teach him the route,

with ropes.

This is an opportunity for him to go down and

see the route he's gonna have to climb.

Then we take away the safety gear.

It's about helping him climb with the same

freedom and flexibility that kids have.

Because the thing that gets in most people's way

isn't their technique.

It's the storm inside their head.

[Steph] So, the reason we're here...

[Chris] Yeah.

[Steph] Is for you to experience the start of the route.

[Chris] Yeah.

-What you're gonna have to do is actually climb off

the boat onto the rock.

-Yeah, onto here, okay.

[Steph] If you look where your rope is going right now.

[Chris] Yeah, that's it, eh?

[Steph] That's that huge rest.

[Chris] Yeah. [Steph] Right there.

So you don't have far to go before you can go hands-free.

-Okay.

-Just a few moves.

-Yeah, it's slippery, innit?

Ah!

-So slippery.

[Chris] It's intense, innit?

[Steph] Yeah!

Climbing tests your emotions as much as your body.

The ones who make it to the top

aren't always the strongest.

They're the ones who can successfully flip the

script in their head.

Sometimes when something's risky,

I might just say,

"Oh, that's complicated."

If I wanna say something's impossible,

I might just say, "I'm still working on that."

Sometimes when I'm scared, I just say,

"That's exciting."

It's not about hiding your emotions,

it's about turning them into something

that moves you forward.

Some people find that pride, frustration,

even anger, can be turned into the fuel

that they need.

This is the crux of the...

[Chris] Yeah.

[Steph] Climb, because you're gonna be the most tired here.

-The, the hardest part's when you're the most tired.

Awesome.

[♪ suspenseful music playing]

-Yeah, yeah! -Yeah!

Do you find that each time you complete

something that is hugely challenging,

there's emotional, spiritual, physical growth?

-I believe that any time you take on a big challenge,

you rise to the occasion.

-You learn a little something about yourself

that you didn't know before, yeah.

-That changes you.

That gives you confidence.

Um, it kind of changes how you go through life.

-Yeah, it makes the, uh, day-to-day stresses

probably not so, uh, intimidating, right?

-I think it's perspective, "I did that."

-Yeah.

-Something else comes along, I can do that.

-Mm-hm. -I did it before.

Feels good.

[Abigail] Most of the stresses that we face day to day

are not life or death.

They're things like emails and missed deadlines,

but they can feel overwhelming in the moment.

But here's the thing.

When we expose ourself to challenges, over time,

it works a little bit like a psychological vaccine.

It makes us more resilient,

it makes us more capable at handling

future challenges, and as a result,

you don't sweat the small stuff in daily

life quite as much.

[Chris] The key to unlocking these benefits

for all of us seems to be finding the edge of

our comfort zone.

[Steph] How do you feel?

-No, it's, at this point,

I'm just trying to break down everything we discussed,

what section I do what in.

[Steph] Exactly.

-Where the sort of reach is...

[Steph] Yeah.

-Where the hardest part is.

[Steph] If you feel it, if you're confident,

if this is it, just do it.

-Yeah. Cool.

[Steph] Yeah! Have fun up there, okay?

I think for Chris, the physical skill needed

is a certain amount, and then there's the

psychological side.

[♪ suspenseful music playing]

[Chris] Oh!

[Steph] That feeling of potential failure,

does it have to be this bad thing?

No, it could be a lot of things.

Sometimes it's kind of like a little fire that

gives you the push.

[Chris] Oof-oof!

-How was that? [Chris] It was good.

[Steph] Good job.

[splash]

[Chris] So, the more we're doing,

the more we're climbing,

and the thing that, you know,

I had some sort of nervous energy about,

is completely playful and full of joy at this point.

And I'm loving it.

[Steph] For me, physical challenges like climbing

invite you to improvise, to be fully present and

to reconnect to a childlike way of being.

Nice! Awesome job.

That was perfect, that was beautiful.

-Ah, thanks.

-So, the thing you're kinda looking for is

that real fun that your kids have on the bike.

Did you feel that?

-Yeah, absolutely.

'Cause actually, once you don't have the rope there,

it's much easier to focus.

-Yeah.

[Chris] Us as kids, we don't, we're not thinking about

all those other things, we're far more present

and, and I see that with my own kids, you know,

they're just in the moment, they do things.

-Yeah.

-And sometimes it's a little risky,

but most of the time they're,

they're on it and their instincts are in control.

-You're an adult. -Yeah.

-You can't get rid of all the stuff...

-Yeah. -That's going on.

But you can manage all that stuff, which you did,

and then once all that stuff gets managed...

[Chris] Yeah. [Steph] Now you can have fun.

[Chris] I'm starting to have a different sort of

enthusiasm and, and appreciation for the

climbing experience.

Which is a good thing, because this dam wall

might be the hardest challenge I've ever attempted.

-With a challenge this tough, obviously training matters,

but sometimes in these intense situations,

people can tap into something extra and special,

which is something called a flow state.

One of the things that's so enjoyable about a flow state

is that you are focusing completely on

what you are doing in the moment.

Flow has a lot of similarities to

a childlike state of mind.

You're just focusing on the task at hand.

[Chris] Researchers believe that during flow state,

prefrontal regions of the brain involved

in overthinking reduce inactivity.

At the same time, dopamine floods the brain,

giving us a profound sense of drive,

and boosting our focus.

When these changes happen together,

we become fully absorbed in the moment,

much like the way kids are.

And this can allow us to unlock our peak performance.

-When I first saw the dam wall,

I thought he's gonna experience flow here.

For me, flow state all comes from these

challenging situations.

Time really starts to stand still.

There's infinite things that can happen in that moment.

It just seems to last forever.

[crowd noise]

[Chris] Flow state has always intrigued me.

The way it seems to give superhuman abilities

to extreme athletes like Robbie,

and it's an active area of scientific research.

[Abigail] Alright, you ready to meet the Zephyr system?

-The Zephyr system? -The Zephyr system.

-Alright.

-This is gonna let us spy on your innards during the climb.

-Cool. -No, sorry, on here.

[Chris] Before the climb,

Abi is rigging me up with sensors.

This cutting-edge tech may reveal if I enter flow state

when I'm on the dam.

Put it there, or back...

-It should be like about right there, yeah.

-Okay, cool.

-So, the Zephyr system can capture both heart rate

and heart rate variability.

We can see that both of them are high or

both of them are increasing in parallel.

That's a pretty good index that a person might

be in a flow state.

-Well, mate, it's final last words.

You got this.

[Chris] Yeah, I'm excited to get into it now because

it's sort of, the more you discuss it,

it starts to become the thing you're trying to avoid,

which is that overthinking,

lot of chatter in the mind, you know,

the sort of thought after thought.

-Yeah.

-And now I just wanna be immersed in the experience,

get into that flow state.

-Don't stress on it, you know.

Like, just let go of the thoughts,

of the emotions,

of the feelings and just be at peace with it.

-That's right. -Go and get it, brother.

-See you at the top. -I'm excited for you.

[Chris] Approaching the dam,

I'm acutely aware of what is facing me.

The freezing conditions...

Alright.

...The fear I could feel if I don't control my thoughts,

and the physical demands.

I can see the handholds and the path in which

I'm gonna have to climb.

And I feel like I'm being swallowed by this huge,

giant concrete... entity.

[Percy] And we'll see you at the top.

-See you at the top, mate.

I desperately want to get out the way of myself and

just into the experience.

The same way that the children do.

As I start the climb, my two best mates,

Zocchi and Aaron turn up,

to offer a little extra moral support.

-Abi, where do you think he's gonna get to?

-I think he's gonna do it. -He's gonna do it?

Okay, Zoc?

-He's gonna do it.

[Zocchi] I shouldn't doubt my boy.

I hope to God he does it, but I reckon he's gonna

get to the start of the angle.

[heavy breathing]

-The first two or three holds,

immediately I go, "These things are freezing,"

and my fingers are becoming stiff.

[heavy breathing]

It's like climbing up blocks of ice.

I'm having to find holds that allow, you know,

my hands to cup like this.

I feel like a, a baby seal trying to claw my way up.

[gasps]

[Bleep].

I literally cannot feel my fingers.

[heavy breathing]

I just say to myself, "Just keep moving."

I've been told that when I get

to the sunny section of the wall,

it's dramatically different,

so that becomes my first major goal.

[heavy breathing]

[Robbie] I'm just seeing Chris take these huge climbs

with his legs.

It looks like a gorilla going up this tree,

and as he's going up, I'm just like, man,

he's going too fast.

[Chris] Ugh! [Bleep].

-He said a naughty word then.

[Chris] Aye-aye-aye.

-Naughty words reduce pain.

[Chris] [Bleep].

[Aaron] If we had a swear jar,

I'd be a millionaire by the end of this.

[Chris] I'm huffing and puffing.

[heavy breathing]

I'm nowhere near the top.

Finally get to that sunny patch of the wall.

[heavy breathing]

[Percy] Chris this is a good place to just

take a breather, mate.

You just wanna stand on the ledge.

[Chris] Yeah.

[Percy] Sit back in your harness, if you want.

Shake your arms out, get a bit of blood back.

[Chris] Yeah.

[Percy] You okay, mate? How you feeling?

[Chris] Ah, yeah, good.

Arms are pumped.

[Percy] Okay, mate, don't rest for too long, then.

You, if you wanna get going, you just go, mate.

-Yeah, I'm in two minds.

I'm like, I don't wanna rest too long,

but I'm also, uh, yeah, my fingers are, uh...

feel like they've been run over by a truck,

several times.

[heavy breathing]

I'm now at 60 meters, or 200 feet,

and beginning a much trickier stage of the

climb where I have to ascend at an angle.

Go. Ah, Okay.

[panting]

So I take off again in somewhat of

a sprint with the assumption that, um,

I'm gonna get there in record time.

[panting]

Ah! [Bleep].

And then I hit maybe the halfway mark.

[heavy breathing]

I look down, and I immediately get that

wave of like, terror.

It makes you wanna throw up.

[heavy breathing]

Oh! [Bleep].

There is a out of control voice that has a

twisted imagination and I keep hearing my

harness come undone.

I keep checking my harness, and at one point,

I reach down and I'm tightening it,

and then I immediately thought,

"What if I just loosened it?"

And I'm looking up at the rope and I'm like,

"What if it snaps?"

I think back to all the training I've done with Bobby,

my stunt double and I know I can overcome my fear,

my overthinking, if I narrow my focus.

[heavy breathing]

One step at a time, one hold at a time.

[Bleep].

[heavy breathing]

And I begin to climb again and

then all of a sudden,

something really beautiful is occurring.

I begin to notice, in moments when I'm like,

there's no way I can do this...

[panting]

I take a deep breath and then I'm there.

I've gained another 10 or so feet without even being

consciously aware of it.

There is a real integration of thoughts

and emotions.

Like there's something harmonious occurring.

-You know the preparation,

you know the technique and then it's all a matter

of allowing the subconscious and your muscle memory

take over and just kind of perform,

and that's really when flow state happens.

[heavy breathing]

[Chris] I'm feeling invigorated.

I'm looking up, thinking, "Okay, I can do this,"

and then bam, that's interrupted by...

Come on.

...Pure exhaustion.

[heavy breathing]

I'm approaching the crux,

where the wall starts to overhang...

[heavy breathing]

...And my body is starting to fail me.

[gasps]

I don't think I've ever felt this exhausted

and I'm now realizing that I should have not been so

aggressively racing to the finish line.

[laughs]

I think you're gonna have to pull me up, my arms are [bleep].

Everything's cramped up.

Aye-ah!

Now the doubt is coming in.

And it's funny what that doubt does to the entire body.

[exhaling]

Ah!

[Bleep], [bleep], [bleep].

Ahh!

[heavy breathing]

Argh, just gotten to the hardest point of the climb.

[panting]

[Bleep] I'm ready to be done with this.

-He's at breaking point now.

I'm thinking, "Let's just rescue him,

let's just pull him up."

-Ah! [Bleep].

[panting]

Ah!

I know from my training with Steph in Mallorca

that there's a way we can reframe what we're feeling...

Ah!

...To drive ourselves forward,

and what I find in that moment...

is blind rage.

[panting]

Alright, there's no quit at this point.

That, that discussion's finished.

[groans]

I don't care how I tear my fingernails off

in the process.

I'll bite these holds if I have to.

I'm getting there.

[grunting]

Come on, now!

-It sounds like he's really mad at the wall,

like he doesn't want the wall to beat him.

[Chris] Aargh!

-There is something interestingly adolescent

about getting really mad when you can't reach your goal.

-Aargh!

[Abigail] And there's something really beneficial about that.

-Aargh!

-Rage actually brings out extra physical strength.

-Aargh!

[Robbie] There it is. [Percy] There it is.

Almost there, mate.

[grunting]

[Chris] Let's go.

Aargh!

[grunting]

[Robbie] Come on Hem!

Yes!

Get up there!

[grunting]

[cheering]

[Percy] Yeah! Come on! Mate! Yeah!

[laughter]

-Aargh!

-You've done it! Yeah! Woo!

[cheering and applause]

-Woo! Woo!

[groans]

[Percy] Come on up, mate.

[Robbie] There it is.

Well done, go do it again.

[groans]

-Am I hooked on something?

Ah! Oh my God!

Oh! Ah!

[Bleep].

-It would be an understatement to say

I'm proud of Chris.

I'm like, so stoked that he did this.

-Oh man. -So inspiring.

-I think that's the hardest thing I've ever done.

That was disgusting.

Oh! Ah!

I pretty much collapsed into a heap but

I immediately feel that elation,

that sense of accomplishment.

-That was an effort.

-And it's pure joy at that point.

-I am blown away by what he just accomplished.

-There were points where I was like,

"Oh, I cannot lift myself on this next hold."

-Yeah.

-And then quiet, take a breath,

and then I'd be three meters beyond where

I thought it was and go, "Oh, what just happened?"

[Robbie] Yeah. -You know?

Just by how quickly things would switch on and off.

[Robbie] Yeah.

[Abigail] Looking at the heart rate data,

we can clearly see an increase on heart rate variability,

as well as that elevated heart rate,

which is consistent with a flow state.

You can see those five pitches.

-Mm.

-You can see it go down at...

-Yeah.

-Each of those four rest spots, but what's really cool is after,

right when you're starting the third pitch,

your heart rate variability is going up.

That is consistent with more of a flow state,

and at least, as an observer,

it looked like you were really in a rhythm there.

-And it's funny, it's not like, wow!

I've, for 20, 30 minutes, I was in flow.

You really are in and out of it,

like you were saying.

It's like there's that discussion

and the next minute,

you know, you're further up the wall.

It's kind of wild.

-Yeah, that was amazing. [Chris] Oh!

The more sedentary we've become,

the more choice we have, we're not forced to,

you know, challenge ourselves as much.

[Abigail] That was...

Pushing your limits and seeking out new challenges

sometimes feels uncomfortable...

[Chris] Oh.

[Zocchi] I never doubted you. I never doubted you.

-But there's a good chance that it will make you happier

and could even lead to a healthier and longer life.

-Life is sitting here in front of us and welcoming

all of us to dive in and experience everything

on offer in every shape and form.

Whether it's playing chess,

whether it's playing a musical instrument,

playing with your kids, or base jumping,

rock climbing, surfing a 100-foot wave,

we have to live with passion and commitment...

Ooh, you alright, babe?

...And embrace all of it.

Do you love riding?

-In the air with the wind in your face,

it's so good.

-Whenever I go over a jump it's like,

what happens, happens.

When I started this, I wanted to recapture that

adventurous spirit that we see in our kids,

and I don't know, maybe that brings out the

child in me again, you know?

We've come sort of full circle and I'm now

learning from them.

I think that's what it's about.

Woo!

Because the growth that occurs through

any challenging experience is really what we seek.

[♪ upbeat music playing]